SOUTH TANGIPAHOA PARISH PORT COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2025 9:00AM
CITY HALL ANNEX BUILDING - 110 W. HICKORY ST., PONCHATOULA, LA
The regular meeting was held on Wednesday, November 12, 2025 at the City Hall Annex
Building, located at 110 W. Hickory Street, Ponchatoula, LA. President Daryl Ferrara called the
regular meeting to order at 9:07 A.M.
The invocation was given by Administrative Assistant Robyn Pusey, followed by the Pledge of
Allegiance led by Commissioner William Sims.
Commissioners Present: Daryl Ferrara, Tina Roper, William Sims, Rhonda Sheridan, Brandon
Schanzbach, Logan Davis
Commissioners Absent: Tim DePaula
President Ferrara welcomed the attendees to the meeting. Others in attendance included
Patrick Dufresne, Executive Director, Robyn Pusey, Administrative Assistant, Andre Coudrain,
Cashe Coudrain and Bass, Lee Barends, ITL Accounting, Richard Meek, Action 17 News, Sean
McArthur of Edward Jones, Dr. James Richardson, Dr. Stephen Barnes, Dr. Anna Osland.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA/MINUTES
It was moved by Vice President Roper and seconded by Commissioner Sims that the South
Tangipahoa Parish Port Commission approve the regular meeting agenda for November 12,
2025, as presented. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims, Sheridan, Schanzbach,
Davis Nays: 0 Absent: 1 DePaula
President Ferrara told the commissioners that the minutes from the October 15, 2025 meeting
had been sent to them electronically by the administrative assistant. She said there were no
changes to the minutes. After a brief review, a motion was made by Vice President Roper and
seconded by Secretary Sheridan to adopt/approve the minutes from the regular meeting on
October 15, 2025. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims, Sheridan, Schanzbach,
Davis Nays: 0 Absent: 1 DePaula
TREASURER’S REPORT
President Ferrara asked port accountant Lee Barends to review the financial reports with the
commissioners. Before starting her review she asked if anyone had any questions, and there
were none. She began with an overview of the balance report which showed $357,228.87 in
the general operating account, and $137,184.64 in the Edward Jones account. She said the
excess cash that had been approved the previous month had been moved over and added to
the investment accounts. She said the total for the investment accounts was right around
$5,000,000.00 and Sean McArthur of Edward Jones advised it was $5,500,000.00. Ms.
Barends said the accounts include CD’s and that there are some CD accounts that have not
matured yet. There were no questions on the balance sheet. Moving to the income statement,
she said the total revenues were $146,714.81 and the expenses were $27,302.96 with a net
profit of $119,411.85. The total year to date net profit was $890,423.20. She said the 2025
Budget column showed the amended budget numbers that had been approved the previous
month. She said the expenses were low, that the insurance had been paid in full for the year.
There were no additional questions.
A motion was made by Secretary Sheridan and seconded by Vice President Roper to approve
the financial reports for October 2025. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims,
Sheridan, Schanzbach, Davis Nays: 0 Absent: 1 DePaula
EDWARD JONES REPORT
Shaun McArthur of Edward Jones was introduced by President Ferrara. Mr. McArthur provided
a copy of the STPPC portfolio analysis and discussed the handling of the CD’s following the
investment rules that were established by the commission last year. He said the investment
portfolio was doing very well. He said the CD’s will be “running off “over the next 8 months, and
based on the investment policy established last year, cash on hand was being maintained in a
combination of money markets and insured bank deposits. Mr. McArthur said that the money
market over the last 2 years had returned over $245,000.00 or 4.75% on average. He said the
portfolio is generating approximately $173,000.00 per year. He was able to lock in rates a year
and a half ago and compared that income statement to the current income statement. He said
all liquid assets have stayed consistent, and as of this morning it was still paying 4.25%.
President Ferrara reminded the commissioners that $250,000.00 is kept in the operating
account and that anything over that amount is transferred to Edward Jones. Ms. Barends said
there was approximately $107,228.00 in excess in the operating account now and asked for
approval to have Mr. McArthur move this to the Edward Jones account. President Ferrara
asked Mr. McArthur to repeat the STPPC investment strategy one more time and asked about
the rolling CD’s. Mr. McArthur said anything that is backed by the State of Louisiana or the
federal government had been paying more, the STPPC portfolio was saturated in staggered
maturities and t-bills and agency backed securities. Those are long-term maturities that pay a
little more, and the t-bills are a mirror image of a CD but is backed by the federal government.
He said the last CD will roll off by July of next year. President Ferrara asked Mr. McArthur to
come in occasionally to give a report and he said he would provide an analysis report at least
twice per year.
OLD BUSINESS
1. Warehouse Buildings #2 & #3 – lease agreement and inspection update
Mr. Dufresne received the inspection report and forwarded it to Port attorney Andre Coudrain for
discussion with the tenant. Mr. Coudrain said there are two leased buildings that they are tying
to blend into one lease for both buildings, and said “we are stuck on the rent terms” and the
length of the lease. He said there is no new development with the tenant. He said the
inspection would be discussed with the tenant and see what their intentions are and go from
there. The inspection reports were discussed among the commissioners. Vice President Roper
said there were a lot of things that were very concerning. She said the drainage issue into the
sewerage system was concerning, as well as the foundation issue. Mr. Dufresne said he had
discussed with President Ferrara the possibility of adding these repairs to one of the
improvement projects and have a professionally engineered baseline moving forward. Vice
President Roper had concerns about the roof in warehouse building # 3 and thought it may be
under warranty. Mr. Dufresne said it was the rail dock roof that had not been repaired in the
roofing project, only the roof proper. Vice President Roper said the warranty for the roof should
be reviewed; however, the main concern should be the drainage into the sewerage and
chemicals running underneath the slab. Mr Dufresne said there was a restroom added to an
office building a few years ago and there was some additional piping that he thinks was noted in
the report and said anything behind the building would be addressed in the improvement
project. Mr. Coudrain said this would be discussed with the tenant. Commissioner Sims said he
would like the inspector to come discuss his report and would like to see a prioritized list of
repairs and time frame to complete repairs. President Ferrara had concerns about the column
that appeared to be bent, possibly by a forklift backing into it. He said the tenant should treat
the building as if it was theirs. Commissioner Sims said the report gives us a starting point to
improve the maintenance in the buildings.
2. LA-DOTD Port Priority Program Application – update
Mr. Dufresne provided a list of the port priority projects that would be funded by the port priority
program in 2026 and said they were all safety themed to improve safety at the port. He said the
project for repairs could be added to this list and would be 90% funded. Vice President Roper
discussed the need for sprinkler systems in both warehouse buildings, and that we need to be
cognizant of what is being stored in the building. Mr. Dufresne said a sprinkler system for
warehouse building # 2 could be added to the list. President Ferrara said at the last STPPC
meeting Fire Chief Joiner spoke about the runoff (of chemicals) from the building and he asked
for a copy of the material safety data sheets (MSDS). Mr. Dufresne said Chief Joiner was only
available for a short time today and asked if he could come in now to speak to the commission.
A motion was made by Vice President Roper and seconded by Commissioner Sims to amend
the agenda and move Old Business agenda item #6 “Preventative Measures at Port Manchac –
discussion” up to agenda item # 3. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims, Sheridan,
Schanzbach, Davis Nays: 0 Absent: 1 DePaula
3. Preventative measures at Port Manchac – discussion
Ponchatoula Fire Chief Stormy Joiner was brought into the meeting. He confirmed that he
received the MSDS reports and was “sorting through them.” Vice President Roper asked Chief
Joiner if he would provide an opinion for the most concerning chemicals from the MSDS list.
President Ferrara said he was excited about cost savings of the dry hydrant system. Chief
Joiner said he could come out and make some recommendations for placement.
4. Drainage Project - update
Mr. Dufresne said the basins had been installed by the contractor and looked nice. He said that
the contractor plans to come back to the port to repave the asphalt, possibly next week, and that
the site grading looked good.
5. Barge dock repair project – update
a) Resolution
Mr. Dufresne said that last year the port filed an application for capital outlay funding, and with
the help of Senator Bill Wheat the port was approved for category 5, which is the initial funding
phase. He said Senator Wheat was going to support the port again and possibly move the
request up to category 2 of the funding phase. As a result, Facility and Planning Control sent a
Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) which Mr. Coudrain had reviewed, and there are
components in the agreement that require a 25% match of $1,300,000.00. Mr. Dufresne said he
sent a request to waive the 25% match because this is an economic development project and
he discussed with Mr. Coudrain the possibility of trying to also request a waiver of the insurance.
Mr. Coudrain said the CEA requires the port to insure the dock after project completion. He said
there is a 2-point strategy – #1 is to see if the state will waive the insurance requirement, and #2
would be pricing out the cost of that insurance. He said if the state won’t waive the insurance
requirement, the port may need to adjust rates to the people who use the dock to compensate
for the increased insurance costs. Air products leases both docks. Mr. Dufresne said the port’s
insurance carrier is currently researching the cost. Mr. Dufresne said, according to Mr.
Coudrain’s review, the agreement doesn’t stipulate a time frame, and the dock doesn’t need to
be insured during the course of the agreement term. He said the dock had been insured once
before, but it was minimal compared to what it might cost today. A discussion continued among
the commissioners regarding the funding. Secretary Sheridan pointed to the CEA agreement
under “Required Match and Escrow Account” and asked if an Escrow account had been set up.
She said this will prove (to Facility and Planning Control) that the port can meet the match
requirements, and even with the request to waive the match, this should be done.
Ms. Barends suggested to be proactive, moving the overage from the operating account this
month into an escrow account to get started. Secretary Sheridan agreed and said this will show
the port will have the ability to meet the match. Discussion was had whether to open an account
at Hancock Whitney or Edward Jones. Mr. McArthur said they could open a separate account
for this purpose. Vice President Roper made a motion seconded by Commissioner Sims that all
parties involved in the financial planning make the Escrow Account to show in good faith the
port’s ability to meet the match. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims, Sheridan,
Schanzbach, Davis Nays: 0 Absent: 1 DePaula
Commissioner Schanzbach said that if the port needs to insure the dock for flood and wind, in
perpetuity it may not be worth going after the extra funds. He said to insure the dock for flood
and wind is not going to be cheap. Discussion among the commissioners continued. Secretary
Sheridan explained more about the need for an Escrow account. Mr. McArthur asked, with the
money that will be moved today or tomorrow, if we should fund the account in its entirety from
the excess cash we have, and the commissioners said yes.
Commissioner Sims introduced the following resolution:
At a regular meeting of the South Tangipahoa Parish Port Commission held on Wednesday,
November 12, 2025, the following resolution was introduced and unanimously adopted; to wit:
Moved by Commissioner Roper, seconded by Commissioner Sheridan that the Commission
authorize Patrick J. Dufresne, Executive Director, to act on behalf of the South Tangipahoa
Parish Port Commission in all matters pertaining to Facility Planning and Control Project No. 36-
P33-25-01, including certifying requests for State disbursements.
Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims, Sheridan, Schanzbach, Davis Nays: 0 Absent: 1 DePaula
6. 5-Year Master Plan – update, Dr. James Richardson, Dr. Stephen Barnes & Dr. Anna Osland Dr. James Richardson was first to present his proposal, followed by Dr. Stephen Barnes and Dr.
Anna Osland. Each presented a proposal for the port Master Plan that included a brief work
history and what they could do to provide recommendations for economic development for the
port and port district. Vice President Roper thanked the presenters and felt they understood the
vision of the STPPC. President Ferrara wanted to make sure that the STPPC gives back to
Wards 6, 7 and 8 (that pay taxes), to give them back a return on their investment to the port. He
thanked the presenters for coming today. Vice President Roper asked Mr. Coudrain if the
commission could discuss the proposals in an open meeting or in executive session. Mr.
Coudrain said there are opportunities for discussion of economic matters that must be properly
noticed to go into Executive Session. He will let the commissioners know what the process will
be moving forward. The presenters left the meeting upon completion of their presentations.
7. Invoice Payment Approval
The following invoices for payment were presented today for approval by Vice President Roper:
1. Cashe Coudrain & Bass
Services rendered through October 31, 2025
Inv# 132170 Matter # 4623-1 Amt.$ 480.00
Inv# 132171 Matter # 4623-13 Amt.$ 592.00
Total Amt.$ 1,072.00
2. Arcane Inspection Services
Commercial Inspection of Warehouse Bldgs 2 & 3 Amt.$ 3,600.00
After briefly discussing the invoices, a motion was made by Vice President Roper and seconded
by Commissioner Sims to approve the invoices presented today for Cashe, Coudrain & Bass,
and Arcane Inspection Services. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims, Sheridan,
Schanzbach, Davis Nays: 0 Absent: 1 DePaula
NEW BUSINESS
1. Environmental Services MSA
Mr. Dufresne said there had been a request to obtain the services of an environmental services
company, and as a result an MSA (Master Services Agreement) had been acquired. After
review by the ports attorney there was an issue in the contract requiring a mutual waiver of
consequential damages, which will limit the ability to recover any losses incurred. Mr. Coudrain
said, “environmental mess-ups are a pretty big thing” and potentially there could be significant
damage. He said if this company limits its ability to recover damages for their mistakes, the port
may need to move on to another company. He will discuss this with Commissioner DePaula to
get his insights. He said If this company does not agree to change this in the contract, he may
recommend not signing and look for another company to provide these services.
2. Proposed Budget FY 2026
Lee Barends reviewed the proposed budget for 2026 with the Commissioners. She said this
information did not include the port priority project, that when we know that we are getting the
money and what the stipulations are, the budget can then be amended. She reviewed the
revenues first, and then the expenses. She reviewed each line item and the budget
recommendations for each. President Ferrara asked about the rail car activity, and Mr.
Dufresne said the cars are being used, and not being parked at the port. Ms. Barends
continued reviewing the expenses with the commissioners. Vice President Roper asked what is
considered as marketing, and Ms. Barends said whatever is going on the credit card monthly
and is reviewed by the auditors, such as advertising in the Tangi Times and Outlook Design for
the website. Vice President Roper said we don’t really market the port and thinks some of these
things may be operations and not marketing. Ms. Barends said she can have the
administrative assistant pull the monthly Capital One credit card statements for her review and
will pull out anything that isn’t directly related to marketing.
Ms. Barends continued reviewing the expenses. She said the commission was responsible for
the 10% match from the FEMA project attached to the $808,144.00 income.
She asked if there are any questions or concerns about the proposed budget or if anything
needs to be modified, to let her know before it is presented to adopt during the public hearing
next month.
3. Public Hearing for Proposed Budget FY 2026
a) Resolution
Commissioner Sims introduced the following resolution:
At a regular meeting of the South Tangipahoa Parish Port Commission held on Tuesday,
November 12, 2025 the following resolution was introduced and adopted; to wit:
Moved by Commissioner Roper, seconded by Commissioner Sheridan, that the Commission
adopt the following resolution with regards to the Public Hearing for the proposed Budget for
calendar year 2026, a copy being attached. The Public Hearing for the proposed 2026 Budget
will take place Tuesday, December 10, 2025 at 9:00AM at the Ponchatoula City Hall Annex, 110
W. Hickory St., Ponchatoula, LA. A Public Hearing Notice will be published for the 2026
Proposed Budget, as required by Louisiana Law, in The Tangi Times, Official Journal of Record,
on the following dates: November 19, November 26, December 3, and December 10, 2025.
Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims, Sheridan, Schanzbach, Davis Nays: 0 Absent:
1 DePaula
LITIGATION UPDATE:
South Tangipahoa Parish Port Commission vs Wilco Marsh Buggies, Inc.
Docket# 20240004367
a) Executive Session
Mr. Coudrain told the commissioners that there was no new development in the case, and that
there was no need to enter into executive session.
REMARKS
The executive director thanked everyone for coming today.
A motion was made by Vice President Roper and seconded by Secretary Sheridan to adjourn
the regular meeting. Motion passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, Sims, Sheridan, Schanzbach,
Davis Nays: 0 Absent: 1 DePaula
The meeting adjourned at 10:37 AM.
_____________________________________ ____________________________________
Rhonda Sheridan, Secretary STPPC Daryl Ferrara, President STPPC
12/10/2026 – AMENDMENT TO MINUTES
There was an error in the STPPC minutes of November 12, 2025. Commissioner Logan Davis
was absent, and not in attendance at the meeting.
During the meeting of December 10, 2025, Vice President Tina Roper made a motion,
seconded by Secretary Rhonda Sheridan, to approve the amendment of the minutes to show
that Commissioner Logan Davis was absent from the meeting on November 12, 2025. Motion
passed. Yeas: 6 Ferrara, Roper, DePaula, Sheridan, Schanzbach, Davis Nays: 0 Absent: 1 Sims